The newest notebook release from Baron Fig is the Trace Softcover Notebook ($15). It’s a 5.4×7.7″ cardstock cover, guided sketch experience created in collaboration with artist Kyle T. Webster. Kyle is best-known for revolutionizing the Adobe Photoshop brushes. So much so that Adobe hired him and made him part of the development and evangelism team.
The new Baron Fig Trace notebook features 72 pages of soft white, 90gsm pages printed with Kyle’s illustrations in a light reddish orange print. As an end-user, you get to bring them to life by tracing the linework. Think of yourself as a comic book inker. Using bolder or thinner lines, change the emphasis of the artwork.
And the artwork is weird, wonderful and whimsical. Some of it is surreal. Some of it is abstract. Some of it is straight-up trippy. But there’s probably something for everyone.
I chose to start with the pile of stones image to trace. I used a brush marker for the wider, outside lines and then used the Pentel Pointliners for the finer, more delicate inside lines. The Baron Fig paper is great with pencil so I think adding colored pencil would be an awesome addition.
When I flipped the page, there was no bleed through and very little show through. Mr. Moustache may be the next trace picture I tackle for fun. Do I like this more than the adult coloring book trend? I think I might.
DISCLAIMER: The notebook included in this review was provided free of charge by Baron Fig for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.
Do you know of any other notebooks like this? I absolutely love this and need to stock up on more!
This is the first tracing-style notebooks that I’ve seen but here’s hoping it won’t be the last.
Thanks for the kind words about the book – I am definitely interested in producing a series of these, but the first one has to sell well! So, fingers are crossed that it will …
– Kyle